Flexible radiant heating panel



NOV- 21, 1961 R. G. THEoDoRE ET AL 3,010,007

FLEXIBLE RADIANT HEATING PANEL Filed May 25, 1959 @gay ' 3,010,007 FLEXIBLE RADIANT HEATING PANEL Ralph G. Theodore, Georgetown, Ky., andJohnL. Davis,

Camp Hill, Pa., assignorsto `Electric Parts Corporation, Georgetown, Ky., a corporation of Illinois Filed May 25, 1959, Ser. No. 815,346

3 Claims. (Cl. 2194-46) rfhis invention relates to improvements in a radiant heating panel'or sheet which essentially is constructed of an insulated electric resistance wire sandwiched between opposite sheets of metallic foil.

One of the important features of the invention resides in a radiant heating pane-l or sheet which is extremely flexible permitting use where more resilient and bulky panels cannot be used.

Another import-ant feature of the invention resides in a radiant heating panel or sheet which may be manufactured economically and yet ythe structure is sturdy and safe to use. n n

A further important rfeature of the invention resides in a radiant heating panel or sheet which employs insulated resistance wires, the radiant panels of which are so flexible as to intimately associate the wires with the panels without bridging the panels between adjacent wires.

Anotherk important feature of the invention resides in a radiant heating panel or lsheet wherein the radiant panel members comprise relatively flexible foil and wherein the inner faces of the foil sheets are coated with a relatively thin coating of adhesive, preferably, polyethylene, to cause adherence of Ithe sheets to each other and to thev sandwiched heating wires.

Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will be more apparent from the accompanying drawing and following detailed description.

ln the drawing, FIG. l is a face viewfof a radiant heating panel or sheet embodying the features yof the present invention.

FiG. 2 is an enlarged ydetailed sectional view taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1, certain parts being exaggerated in size.

FlG. 3 is a sectional view similar to that shown in FIG. Z wherein the radiant sheetsare joined together in a modified manner. 'y Referring in detail to the drawing, 1 indicates gene-rally a radiant heating panel or sheet embodying the features of the present invention. The panel 1 comprises essentially a heating Iunit 2. sandwiched between two outer sheets of flexible metal foil 3 and 4.

The heating unit 2 comprises conventional resistance wire sheathed by an insulating material 6. The insulating material comprises a flexible material, preferably polyvinyl chloride or similar plastic material or mix-ture which will withstand temperatures up to about 220 F; without y meltingor disintegrating. The heating unit is arranged in a zigzag or serpentine fashion conventional in the arrangements used in heating panels, electric blankets, electric sheets or the like so that the pattern employed will produce heat over a relatively large area.

The sheets 3 and 4 comprise flexible metal foil, preferably aluminum foil having highly eflicient radiant energy reflecting surfaces. Preferably the foil thickness or caliper is less than about three thousandthsof an inch. Of course, heavier foil may yconceivably be used so long as the foil sheets do not appreciably bridge adjacent wires of the heating unit when saidwires are sandwiched between the radiant sheets, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

The heating unit wires are sandwiched between the two opposite foil sheets 3 and 4, as shown best in Fig. 1'. As a feature of the present invention, the inner yor confronting faces of the foil sheets 3 and 4 are coated with a relatively thin coating 7 of yanadhesive, preferably 3,010,001 Patented Nov. 21k, 1961 polyethylene, the coating 7k in FIG. 2 being shown inl together and secured to the surface of the insulation 6.

By virtue of the flexible character of the foil sheets, the

` sheets may be brought into intimate contact with each other and with the major portion of the outer surface area i of the insulation 6. That is, `no appreciable bridging of the sheets t3 and 4 will take place between adjacent wires kor conductors of the heating unit.

The preferred manner of sandwiching the heating unit between the sheets 3 and 4 is illustrated in lFIG. 2 wherein the sheets 3 and 4 symmetrically sandwich the wires 0f the heating unit. However, if desired, the sheets may sandwich the heating unit wires as shown in FIG. 3, wherein sheet 4 is maintained substantially flat and sheet 3 is distorted to embrace the heating unit conductors Z. For automatic ormachine securement of the sheets together about the heating unit, one manner of securement may be preferred over the other. In either case, however, a minikmum of bridging of the sheets over the conductors will OCCHI.

. y yOther obvious variations of the invention, which do not depart from the spirit of the invention, will occur kto anyone skilled in the art and, hence, it is not intended that the invention be limited to the exact details Vshown and described yexcept as necessitated by the appended claims.

What is claimed is: f

. `l. A relatively flexible radiant heating panel comprisingV a flat sinuous coil of resistance wire, a sheath of relatively flexible polyvinyl chloride insulating material carried on said wire, a sheet of flexible foil disposed on each side of said coil, and a coating of polyethylene heat-responsive adhesive carried on theconfronting faces of said sheets, said sheets being adhered togethery by said polyethylene adhesive between adjacent loops of said insulated resistance wire and being intimately adheredpby said polyethylene adhesive to a portion of the outer surface area `material capable of withstanding temperatures of at least about 220 degrees F., a sheet of thing flexible thermally conductive metal foil disposed lon each side of said coil,

and a coating of adhesive carried on the confronting faces of said sheets, said adhesive comprising a heat-responsive plastic material, said sheets being adhered together byy said adhesive between adjacentloops of said insulated resistance wire and being intimately adhered by said adhesive to substantially the entire outer surface area of the insulating sheath carried by said resistance wire.

3. A flexible radiant heating panel comprising a flat sinuous coil of resistance wire, a sheath of flexible insulating material carried on said wire, a sheet of, thin flexible thermally conductive metal foil disposed. on each side of said coil, and a coating of adhesive carried on the confronting faces of said sheets, said sheets conforming to said coil of wire and being intimately adhered by said adhesive about substantially the entire youter surface area ofthe insulating sheath carried by said wire and `being References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,521,241 Hale Dec. 30, 1924 1,996,522 Norris Apr. 2, 1935 2,07 8,675 Lockwood Apr. 27, 1937 4 Blessing July 15, 1947 Roberson June 13, 1950 Cha11enner Nov. 14, 1950 Brennan Oct. 12, 1954 Abbott et a1 Aug. 16, 1955 MacKendrick Aug. 6, 1957 Willat July 29, 1958 Silversher Oct. 28, 1958 

